Why imported technology transformed Japan differently

Which countries tried to import naval technology as Japan did, and why did Japan appear more successful?

China, Russia, and to a degree the United States all imported foreign concepts or expertise, but Japan gained decades of stability and selectively absorbed technology without fully remaking society.

The answer distinguishes importing an artifact from importing the knowledge that makes a capability reproducible. China lacked sustained stability, Russia modernized while deepening social tensions, and the United States combined imported concepts with domestic engineering resources. Japan's advantage was enough political space to play outside powers against one another and concentrate imported technology at the institutional edges of the state.